Present in the debates preceding the Rio+20 - United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the subject "Social Responsibility" is one of the highlights of the "institutional framework for sustainable development" - one of the two main themes of the Conference thath takes place on 13-22 June in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

ItaipuBinacional- the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world as regards the generation of energy - will launch its Sustainability Report for 2011 on the Rio+20. The company publishes annually since 200, its Sustainability reports (available HERE). Since 2007, reports are prepared in accordance with the guidelines of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the most widely accepted global standard, and undergo independent assurance, which ensures the credibility of the data.

According to the assistant of Social Responsibility of Itaipu, Heloisa Covolan, "the report will also serves as a Communication on Progress (COP) to the United Nations Global Compact, which the company is a signatory since 2009". Itaipu also is part of the Brazilian Committee of the Global Compact and occupies one of its vice presidency.

For the company, as important as the generation of energy is to take care of future generations. Itaipu promotes social responsibility since the start of work, with greater emphasis since 2003, to stimulate the sustainable development of society, preserving environmental and cultural resources and promoting the reduction of social inequalities.

To this end, it performs many social responsibility programs, such as child care, a future for young people, equal opportunities, incentives to their employees, and works and sustainability projects. Each of these programs embrace many other actions in the areas of education, health, combating the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, combating violence, encouraging income generation, promotion of gender equality and also encouraging tourism and volunteerism.

More than 1.5 million people are directly or indirectly benefit, by the socially responsible actions of Itaipu, in 28 Brazilian cities and 31 Paraguayan cities in its cover area. The binational works in partnership with governments, international organizations, corporates, charities, community associations and service clubs in order to put into practice their programs.

Health

Itaipu invests in strengthening public policies that guarantee equal treatment to all people and in support of hospital care quality. Through agreements, allocates resources to the Ministro Costa Cavalcanti Hospital (HMCC), created by the entity and administered since 1994 by the Fundação de Saúde Itaiguapy (Itaiguapy Health Foundation).

The institution serves nearly 400,000 residents of nine municipalities. Thanks to Itaipu, the hospital provides 120 of its 200 beds for patients of the Unified Health System (SUS). In 2011, 7,957 patients were treated at the Oncology Center of the HMCC, 3384 deliveries were performed, 265 cardiovascular surgeries and 25 actions that reached 1,700 healthcare professionals in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, thanks to partnerships with 45 institutions.

In addition to enabling the growth of HMCC, Itaipu supports other initiatives through the Border Health Program, developed in partnership with the Ministries of Health of Brazil and Paraguay, the Health Department of Paraná, municipalities and health regions of Alto Paraná and Canindeyú.

The actions in Foz do Iguaçu increased the number of beds and the provision of high complexity services, such as oncology and cardiac surgery. In Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, the maternal and child health specialty has received more attention.

Last year alone, the binational invested $ 4.8 million in HMCC.

Indigenous communities

A permanent work is carried out by Itaipu Binacional in Guarani villages Tekoha Ocoy, Tekoha Añetete and Tekoha Itamarã to ensure sustainability and maintenance of fundamental rights of the indigenous peoples. Among other achievements, highlight the zero index in infant mortality.

Among the actions taken is the construction of 26 housing in Itamarã, reform of a rubber shed, construction of a cistern and a craft center in the village Añetete. In the Community Ocoy were performed reforestation and encouraging sustainable agricultural production.

In 2011, Itaipu has invested $ 714,000 in the Indigenous Communities Sustainability program.

Programme for the Protection of Children and Adolescents

The program acts to prevent and combat sexual exploitation and child labor in partnership with various institutions, through agreements or financial transfers. Among the main actions are: professional training of young people and families in need, medical, psychological and host of children at risk, encourage the sports and dances among children and young people and support the campaigns of prevention and rehabilitation of dependent drugs and alcohol.

Some programs help to implement these actions. One of these, the Children of the Lake, is changing the reality of many young people of the border. Executed in partnership with the Federation of Canoeing of Paraná, aims to train Olympic athletes and increase academic achievement. For months, it serves 75 students from public schools in Foz de Iguacu.

Other forms of child protection is to address violence against women. Through an agreement, Itaipu deployed the Shelter Outreach Program to protect the integrity of women and their children, known as Shelter House, which has served until June 2011, 629 (six hundred and twenty-nine) people, 416 of these are children. Directly, 628 lives were saved in the Shelter House, and indirectly 798 women attended the instruments and the network of social services for women victims of violence and life-threatening.

The Costa Cavalcanti Hospital also provides assistance to people suffering any kind of violence, especially sexual, freeing them to undergo physical examinations in the Forensic Medical Institute (IML). In addition to immediate medical care, receive six months of psychological counseling. In the first semester of 2012 were offered 47 services.

Motivation for First Job

In 2011, the Initiation and Incentive to Work Program (PIIT)and the Internship Program contributed to the training of 742 young people. There were 323 learners who participated in the PIIT performing administrative tasks in school. The initiative was created in 1988 even before the Apprentice Adolescent exists, to serve low-income youth aged 16 to 18.

Besides the activities in offices, they participate in courses, workshops and trainings offered by partner organizations that encourage family bonding, school accountability, the professional maturity and citizenship. Young people receive scholarship aid, medical and dental assistance, transportation vouchers and food vouchers. Another 13 adolescents participated in the Young Gardener Program (focusing on environmental education) and 344 of the Itaipu Internship Program (aimed at college students or students of technical courses).

Itaipu invested US$ 1.6 million in PIIT and the Young Gardener in 2011.

Corporate Volunteer Program - Volunteer Force

The Volunteer Force progaram was established to encourage the practice of voluntary work among the employees of Itaipu and has mobilized some 500 people who participated in at least one of the activities performed in 2011: Project Database, gymkhana, lectures and training (including the Third Sector), in addition to the three campaigns to donate money or collect donations.

To strengthen and multiply volunteer work, Itaipu provides financial support to initiatives taken by employees through the Project Database. Since 2006, they had 72 and 47 proposals were approved that benefited about 25,000 people.

In 2011, Itaipu Bianacional joined the Brazilian Corporate Volunteer Council, an initiative that brings together 25 leading Brazilian companies and aims to encourage and promote the importance of corporate volunteering in the country.

"This is a typical example of win-win: employees and the company, and the community. In the case of company, voluntary work brings many positive points, so that some organizations are already using as selection criteria the applicant's participation in volunteer work - this activity indicates that the person has to work easily in teams and curiosity to learn new tasks some of the features that any company you want to see in their employees", says Heloisa Covolan.

The investment made by Itaipu in the Volunteer Force program in 2011, was US$ 99,000.